AASHTO Journal, 14 March 2014
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx had a busy week on Capitol Hill, testifying to both the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies on the President’s fiscal year 2015 transportation budget, which includes a portion of a $302 billion, four-year transportation reauthorization measure outlined by President Obama last month.
Foxx essentially outlined the President’s budget (see related AASHTO Journal story here), which was released last week, and discussed various parts with both the Senate and House committees. He said that there are two pieces to improving the nation’s transportation infrastructure that Congress should keep in mind.
“As we consider the state of transportation today, we have two important responsibilities we must address. First, we have to look forward to take charge of transportation decisions that impact our country’s future. As America continues to grow, we need to ensure that transportation choices are poised to meet the new demands that results from expanding regions and emerging cities,” Foxx said during his Senate Appropriations hearing. “At the same time, we need to acknowledge that in far too many cases, our current transportation systems have not been maintained to optimal standards and as a result, are not operating in a state of good repair. This neglect is costly and results in inefficiencies and inconvenience to travelers every day.”
Foxx said the Obama administration hopes to put forth a transportation reauthorization bill as early as April.
The reauthorization proposal by President Obama would supplement existing Highway Trust Fund revenue with $150 billion from revenue generated from “pro-growth corporate tax reform.” The proposal also would follow MAP-21 programmatic structures for the most part, while also creating several new programs under FHWA, including: a Critical Immediate Investments Program (part of the President’s “Fix it First” initiative, focusing on improving existing transportation assets and cutting down on structurally deficient bridges), a Freight Program (which aims to cut down on freight bottlenecks and improve efficiency in moving goods), and a Fixing and Accelerating Surface Transportation program (a discretionary program that would reward innovative solutions to transportation challenges). The proposal dedicates $5.1 billion over four years to transit “Fix it First” projects, creates a new Bus Rapid Transit discretionary grant program and dedicates $7 billion over four years for new intercity passenger rail services and upgrades to existing corridors. Other elements of the plan include an increase in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant funding, from the current $600 million in FY 2014 to $1.25 billion in FY 2015.
President Obama’s 2015 budget calls for $91 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation, about $18 billion above current funding levels, including $48.56 billion for the Federal Highway Administration (a 19 percent increase over FY 2014), $17.65 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (a 63 percent increase); $851 million for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (up 4 percent), $669 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (a 14 percent increase), about $5 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration (a 210 percent increase), and $15.4 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (a 2 percent decrease from the current year).
“The President has laid out his vision for a surface transportation proposal to modernize the country’s infrastructure, address our infrastructure deficit, and better connect people to their jobs, schools, and communities every day,” Foxx said.
A video of the hearing and Foxx’s written testimony to the House Appropriations Committee is available here and a video of the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing is available here.